Why'd You Leave
by zeaeevee
Summary: Tigress leaves the Jade Palace and the Valley of Peace, and no one knows why, and returns a year later, with a surprise. Oneshot. TiPo TigressxPo


**Why'd You Leave**

Night had befallen the Valley of Peace, as a lone figure ran from roof top to roof top, although silent as to not wake the village residence. The figure arrived at their destination; the Valley's entrance/exit gate, and turned to have one last look at the building atop the tall mountain, The Jade Palace. The being frowned. _"I'm sorry."_ Were their final thought, and in the silence and darkness of the night, they were gone.

The next morning, the gong rang to awaken the warriors of the Jade Palace. They all stepped out of their rooms and greeted their master. All, except one. And to everyone's surprise, it was the last person they'd expect to not show up. It was none other than, Master Tigress.

The warriors where greatly confused by this. Master Shifu made his way to her room, the other's close behind him, and knocked on the door. After knocking a few more times with no answer, he opened the door to find the room empty. All her belongings were still there, but she wasn't. Though, a scroll on her bed caught the Grandmaster's eyes. He walked over to the bed, picked up the scroll, and began reading it out loud for the others to hear.

_**To my friends, My family, my loved ones  
I am sorry, but I have left the Jade Palace and the Valley of Peace  
By the time you read this message, I would be long gone  
Please do not come searching for me  
I am not sure how long I will be gone, but I will be back someday  
I love you all**_

_**Tigress**_

_**PS. Po, in case you have not seen it yet, I have left a personal message for you on your desk.**_

The masters stood in utter shock once Shifu finished reading. Po was the first to recover and ran back to his room. Sure enough, there was a scroll on his desk. He opened it and began to silently read.

_**Po, this message is for your eyes, and your eyes only.  
Po, you are the love of my life  
And it is with a heavy heart, that I have left  
Like I said in my other note, I will be back, but not sure when  
Till then, wait for me, my love, and don't find anyone else.  
I love you**_

_**Yours Forever, Tigress.**_

Tear's flowed down his cheeks as he read the message over again. He was happy that she still loved him, but heartbroken that she left. He hid the scroll, and went to join the others in the kitchen. They saw how heartbroken he was, and knew he wouldn't be in any mood to cook, so they didn't ask and ate some leftovers. Though, they barely ate, since they were all depressed about Tigress' leave.

After breakfast they made their way to the training hall. Shifu knew that he students weren't in any shape to train, especially Po, so he gave them the day off. It didn't make much of a difference though since all the masters did was mope around all day. Po spent the entire day in his room, crying his heart out, praying that Tigress will come back to them… to HIM soon.

Night had fallen and the warriors got to bed after an uneventful day. Po took one last look at the note and read it one more time.

"_If you love me, then why'd you leave?"_ Were his final thought, as he cried himself to sleep.

One year and 3 months later.

A figure walked down the main street of the Valley of Peace. It was late at night and everyone had turned in for the night. The figure approached a restaurant which was closing up. The rice paper wall was in the doorway, letting outsiders know the place was close, but there was still light coming from inside. The figure moved the rice paper wall aside and stepped in, and moved it back into place.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed. Come back tomorrow." The owner, a goose, said, behind the counter as he put stuff away, not bothering to turn to see who it was.

"Mr. Ping." The person said, in a calm voice.

The goose, known as Mr. Ping, stopped what he was doing and froze. He knew that voice, but thought he was hearing things. He slowly turned around and gasped at the sight of who he saw.

The next day, the being had made their way to the Jade Palace. By the time they made it up there, it was already mid-morning, meaning that the masters would be training in the training hall. The being made their way towards the training hall and opened the door, and made their way down the steps to the training area and stood at the foot of the steps and watched the masters train.

When they were done, and made their way to the side platform of the hall, they all stood and gazed in shock at who they saw. The being simply smiled at them as they slowly made their way towards the being.

"T-Tigress? Is that really you?" Viper asked.

Tigress continued to smile and nodded towards them. Without warning, the remaining members of the furious five lunged at the tiger master, tackling her to the floor as they all embraced her.

"We missed you so much, Tigress." Viper said.

"And I missed all of you." Tigress replied.

"Tigress?" they all heard a deep and surprised voice. They all turned around to see the Grandmaster standing behind them.

"Baba," Tigress said softly as Shifu approached her, and the two soon embraced each other.

"My daughter. I've missed you so." Shifu told her.

"And I've missed you, baba." Tigress replied, as they broke their embrace.

Tigress stood up and turned to face the one person, who had not gone to greet her. The others moved aside to allow her to approach him as he looked at her with sad eyes.

"Po…?" Tigress asked unsurely as she stood before the giant panda. He continued to look at her with a sad expression. Tigress sensed his pain. She completely understood his behavior at seeing her again. She raised her right paw to cup his left cheek, but then hesitated and brought it back down and looked away from him. Before she could say or do anything else, she felt herself in the tight embrace of the giant panda. His head on her shoulder as he cried tears of joy at seeing her again.

"I've missed you so much, Ti." He said on her shoulder as he continued to cry.

"And I've missed you, my panda." Tigress replied, also crying.

The others smiled as they watched the scene before them. After what felt like forever, the two finally broke their embrace and turned to face the others. Before they could say anything, Tigress spoke up.

"I know the question on all of your minds. Why did I leave?" Tigress asked. Everyone nodded. Tigress smiled.

"Before I do that, I have something I want to show you all. It's down in the village." Tigress said, making her way out of the training hall, as the others followed close behind.

After an hour walk down the mountain, Tigress led them to Mr. Ping's noodle shop. Po was confused as to why his father's shop was closed. They followed Tigress all the way into the kitchen. Before climbing up the steps, she asked everyone to be very quiet. They were confused as to why, but nodded towards her.

Tigress walked up the steps and made her way towards Po's old room. Mr. Ping stood by the door and smiled and nodded toward Tigress. She opened the door and entered.

"Be very quiet everyone." She whispered to them and stood aside for them to enter. Po was the first to enter, and what he saw made him stop in his tracks. In the corner of his room, away from the window, stood his old baby crib. The others pushed passed Po, also seeing the crib. But they were more confused compared to the panda.

Tigress walked over to the crib, took a quick glace into it and stood next to it. She made a motion to the other warriors to have a look. They did and were surprised at what they saw. In the crib, lay a white tiger cub, with black stripes.

Po felt his heart sink into his stomach at the sight of the cub.

"_I thought she said she loved me. Yet she found someone else to start a family."_ Po sadly thought.

"Tigress? How… when…?" Viper didn't even know what to ask. Tigress frowned.

"This is the reason I left. When I found out I was pregnant I got afraid. I didn't know what to do or how to tell all of you. I was also afraid of how you would react to it, baba. I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me. So I did the only thing I could think of; I left. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized my mistake, of not confronting my fears. But by then, it was too late. I was already 6 months pregnant by the time I came to that decision, so I stayed where I was to have the baby and waited until she was big enough for me to make the journey back." Tigress explained.

Everyone stared at Tigress as they registered what she said.

"So it's a girl?" Viper asked, Tigress nodded.

"So, where were you staying during all that time?" Master Shifu asked.

"I stayed with Zan's family. It was the only place I could think of to go." Tigress replied.

"Zan? You mean Prince Zan? The little gosling you rescued and took care of?" Viper asked.

"The very one." Tigress replied with a smile.

Everyone looked down at the cub sleeping peacefully in the crib.

"Sooo… how old is she, and what's her name?" Po asked brokenheartedly, trying his best to hide it, but failing.

Tigress smiled. She could sense what he was thinking; that she found someone else to have a family with. She hated to tease him like this, but it would be worth it for both of them in the end.

"She's six months old. She doesn't have a name yet. I figured, since the father didn't get to witness her birth, the least I could do, is allow him to name her." Tigress explained.

The room became silent as the masters looked at each other, confused, then back at the tiger master.

"So, who's the father?" Crane asked.

Tigress smiled. "Could you do the honor, of naming your daughter, Po?" she asked.

Po gasped and his eyes widened in shock. He felt a lump in his throat, like his heart moved up from his stomach, passed his chest and lunge itself into his throat. The others looked on in surprise.

"Y-you mean… s-she's mine?" Po asked, hoping he wasn't hearing things.

Tigress smiled. "Didn't I say you were the love of my life?"

Po looked down at the tiger cub… his tiger cub. He couldn't believe that this little tiger is part panda.

"Ling-Ti," Po said softly with a smile.

"What's that, Po?" Tigress asked.

"Her name's Ling-Ti." Po replied, looking up at Tigress and the others.

"What a beautiful name." Viper said.

"It is beautiful, and perfect." Tigress smiled as she stood next to Po. "Now, Po, think of another name."

"Another one? Why?" Po asked, as he and the others gave Tigress a confused look.

Tigress smiled and leaned into the crib, and pulled a blanket off a pillow like lump next to the tiger cub. Everyone gasped, even more surprised than before.

"Way to go, Po!" Mantis exclaimed, but not too loud.

Po was utterly speechless. When Tigress removed the blanket, she revealed to him and the others, a panda cub, about same age as the tiger cub. Po kept opening and closing his mouth, but no sound resonated from it.

Tigress giggled at his reaction. "Meet your other daughter, Po." She told him.

"T-twins? You had twins?" Po asked. Tigress nodded. Po smiled. "You always were full of surprises, Ti." He said, catching on to what she was doing to him. Tigress simply giggled.

Po looked down at the panda cub and smiled as he began to think of a name.

"Ming," Po finally said.

"Ling-Ti and Ming. Beautiful names for beautiful children." Shifu said as he approached the two warriors. "Po, Tigress, I'm sure you two are probably expecting a lecture from me, and you will, but not now." He said smiling at the two. "Right now, I believe its best that Po gets a chance to bond with his children and spend time with his family. So you may stay here until you are ready to come to the palace. The rest of us will head back and get a room ready for you and your cubs."

"Thank you, baba." Tigress smiled. Shifu smiled back and nodded. He turned to leave and snapped his fingers toward the other warriors to follow and they did without question, leaving the two alone with their cubs.

Tigress turned to Po. "You thought I found someone else when you saw the tiger cub, didn't you?" Tigress asked as she sat on the bed, Po sat next to her.

"Well…" Po started, looking away ashamed that he thought she would leave him for another. Tigress chuckled.

"It's ok, Po. I was teasing you anyway. I wanted to see your reaction." She told him, nuzzling her head under his neck. Po chuckled. Her personality hadn't changed, and he was happy about that.

"So, when were they conceived?" Po asked.

Tigress smiled and purred. "It was the night we gave ourselves to each other. A few days after, I realized I wasn't feeling like myself. So I went to get checked up and that's when I was told I was pregnant. And you know the rest."

After a comfortable silence of being in each other's embrace, Po spoke up.

"You know it pains me, knowing that I wasn't there to help you during the pregnancy."

"I know, Po. That is why I waited till the cubs where big enough so we could make the journey back home. Like I told you, it's only fair that I let you name them after not being there to witness their birth."

Another moment of silence passed between them.

"I really missed you, Ti." Po whispered in her ear.

"And I missed you, my love." Tigress replied.

Tigress removed herself from his chest and looked up and stared into his jade eyes as he gazed into her amber ones. They slowly leaned in and shared a very gentle, loving and passionate kiss. A kiss making up for the time they spent away from each other. After what felt like eternity, they parted, breathing really heavily. Once they recovered, they smiled and gazed into each other's eyes once again, and lovingly rubbed their noses together.

Their moment was broken, from the cry of the cubs. They both smiled and got up to check on them. Po picked up the tiger cub and Tigress picked up the panda cub. Tigress went to the other corner of the room and pulled out two bottles of milk from a bucket with warm water. She walked back to the bed and gave Po a bottle and sat next to him on the bed.

Tigress observed him to see what he would do.

"Shhh. It's ok little Ling-Ti. Daddy's here." Po whispered soothingly to the cub, gently rocking her side to side to calm her down. When she did, he gently placed the bottle near her mouth, and she began to gulp all the milk down, trying to hold the bottle with her tiny paws. Po smiled at the cute sight as he held the bottle to feed the hungry cub.

Tigress smiled at what she was seeing. "You're a natural, Po." She said as she fed Ming her bottle, who took her time to drink hers, also trying to hold the bottle with her tiny paws.

Po smiled and looked to Tigress. "Yea, well… I was always great with kids, but truthfully, this is the first time I've held one this young." Po told her. "Whoa! Slow down Ling-Ti." He said when he looked back down at the tiger cub quickly gulping down her bottle and emptied it up in no time. Po chuckled and placed the bottle on the floor. He placed the cub on his shoulder and gently patted her back till he heard her burp, and brought her back down in his arms.

"I think it's the fatherly instincts kicking in, letting me know what I'm supposed to do to raise a family." Po finished, grazing his thumb along the cub's cheek, earning him a happy coo from her.

Tigress nodded having done feeding and burping Ming.

Ling-Ti slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her father. Po gasped and began to cry tears of happiness when he saw her eyes.

"She… she has my eyes." Po whispered as he continued to gently graze his fingers along the tiger cub's face.

Tigress smiled, seeing his reactions while interacting with one of his children. "Po," she said softly to get his attention. He looked over to her only for her to motion toward the panda cub in her arms. Po gasped again to see his other daughter looking up at him with bright amber eyes.

"And she has yours." He said, looking down at the panda cub, who was raising her tiny arms up towards him. Po smiled and placed Ling-Ti in his left arm so Tigress could place Ming on his right. Both cubs where raising their arms up towards Po while making cute little baby sounds. Po continued to smile and brought both cubs up to his face. They hugged his face as much as their tiny arms would let them and nuzzled their father's cheeks while giggling, as Po continued to cry tears of pure happiness.

Tigress smiled at the sight before her. She really did feel awful about have Po miss her pregnancy and the first six months of their lives, but they were together again, he has the rest of his life to spend with them.

"They know their father." Tigress suddenly said.

Po gently removed the cubs from his face and brought them down around his waist area, as they grabbed and nuzzled into his fur. He smiled and turned toward Tigress with a questioning look.

"Whenever other men would try to hold them, they'd start crying really loudly. Not even the Emperor could get close enough to them without them bursting into tears. And I now see the reason. They wanted the first male to hold them to be their father. I don't know how, but they somehow knew. There's really no denying that they're yours, Po. Ling-Ti takes a lot after you while Ming takes after me." She told him.

Po smiled after hear that. It made him very happy to know that, even though he wasn't around when they were born, that they already had a special place for him in their hearts, just like their mother. He leaned down and lovingly placed a kiss on their forehead. Po then turned to Tigress and leaned in kissed her lovingly, which she gladly returned. When they broke apart, they lovingly nuzzled their heads together.

"Thank you, Tigress." Po said in a gentle voice, the cubs fast asleep in his arms.

"For what?" Tigress asked.

"For everything. Loving me and becoming my mate. Coming back to me, and giving me the family I thought I would never have." Po told her.

Tigress smiled and purred. "Same goes for me, Po. I love you."

"And I love you, Ti."

They both looked down at the now sleeping cubs in Po's arms. "And we love you both." They said in unison, as Tigress gently caressed Ming's head.

And there they stayed for the rest of the day, till it was time to head to the Jade Palace. Tigress was happy to be back home, and Po was happy to have her back, along with finding out that he was a father. A father that will do whatever it took to keep his family safe, and a mate that he loved and loved him, unconditionally.

**END!**

**Published: 03.07.2013**

**Again, something that popped into my head. Hope you all liked it. **

**Please review, and let me know what you think. If you spot any grammar errors, let me know and I'll fix it.**

**~Zea**


End file.
